Zhui Xu

Chapter 164: challenge

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In the afternoon, when walking through the market by the Qinhuai River, there were pedestrians from far and near. After the snow melted in the spring, business travelers began to pass through Jiangning City. From time to time, long-distance travelers can be seen walking through the market with their horses, and there are also business trips with dart teams in the vicinity, protecting their carriages and horses mightily. Then you can relax a little bit. The guards with knives and guns look around in the market, speak loudly, and discuss the prosperity of the city with their companions.

Once out of the city and truly embarking on a journey, such a prosperous scene is rarely seen.

On both sides of the road, there are flags or signboards hanging at the door of the shops, and there are often stone steps between the shops near the river for boarding boats or washing clothes. Soon after the snow melted, the surrounding willow trees had not yet sprouted, but some birds had already flown over and chirped softly. Above the blue waves on the river, there are painting boats coming, and there are bursts of singing.

"Master, you see that the scholar on the painting boat seems to be called Yuan Li, who also visited Grandpa Concubine a few days ago."

In this early spring weather, I can't get too nervous. Ning Yi was carrying a long burden at this time, and was walking on the street with Zhou Pei, the small county master. There was also a middle-aged man with low-key clothes and a rather burly figure at the back. This man was a guard of the palace, whose surname was Song Mingqian. . Zhou Pei and Zhou Junwu were taking classes in Yushan Academy, and there were always two guards waiting nearby. Now that Zhou Pei and Ning Yi were going to find Kang Xian, when they came out of the small courtyard with a few burst guns, they naturally greeted them. One person follows.

This person has served as a bodyguard in the palace for a long time. If there are no major accidents, he is like an invisible person, and he will not give people much sense of existence.

The Academy and the Concubine's Mansion were far apart, but there was nothing to do either. Ning Yi preferred to take a walk in the city. Xiao Zhou Pei originally had something on his mind, but naturally he couldn't tell it in his mouth. After walking with Ning Yi for a while, listening to the master pointing out some profound and interesting things, he temporarily let go of his mood. At this time, walking on the road by the river, I saw a young man in blue shirt standing on the bow of the boat not far away. He recalled what he knew and told Ning Yi.

Ning Yi turned his head and looked over there. The painting boat was quite lively, and it was obviously another party. The young man in the blue shirt was standing at the bow of the boat, with a folding fan in his hand and a silk scarf fluttering on his head. He was quite graceful. . A girl in white also came from the painting boat and stood beside him to talk to him. It was probably the girl who accompanied him in the painting boat. She had a good figure, but she could not see her appearance from a distance.

Turning her head to look at Zhou Pei again, she saw that she was lightly holding the long skirt with one hand, so that she would not stain the skirt when she walked forward, she stretched her neck and looked at the painting boat with interest. The appearance of the star-chasing little girl with vice gossip is also quite cute.

"...It seems to be the ship of Mingyufang. I don't know if it is Yin Xue or Huaping. Teacher, guess what they are talking about?"

That Ming Yufang is also somewhat famous in Jiangning, and the two girls, Yin Xue and Huaping, are the signatures. This kind of thing is not a bad thing today, as long as there are talented people and beautiful people, it is a good story. Zhou Pei also grew up listening to such stories from a young age. At this time, he was very interested. Ning Yi squinted and looked at it. The beautiful painting boat was driving in the breath of early spring, and it was indeed pleasing to the eye.

"Yuan Li's name seems to have been heard before, is it very powerful?"

Zhou Pei wanted to nod his head to say it was great, but then pursed his lips, but blinked at the master. That person has some reputation. To be able to visit Kang Xian with others is evidence to a certain extent, but in today's Jiangning, if it is put together with the five words "Ning Yi Ning Li Heng", how much is it? Some powerless. Seeing that this master was carrying a long package behind his back, smiling and asking questions without seeming to be fake, Zhou Pei was also a little helpless for a while, and his interest in the talented and beautiful women over there also diminished, so he only mumbled.

"It's okay, I was debating with people at Grandpa Concubine's house a few days ago. When I talked about things in the north, I was very impassioned. Didn't the teacher also sign the advice a few days ago? He is also the most enthusiastic among them. As for one person, I heard that he is talking about this with people these days, and it must be true today... Unfortunately, the Jin Kingdom and the Liao Kingdom have negotiated peace, and it will take a few years for the war to start, otherwise I heard that he will follow the ambition of Ban Chao and join the army... "

"It won't take a few years..."

Ning Yi smiled, but nodded. He walked forward with Zhou Pei and Song Qian, and the painting boat also moved forward slowly. Among them, there were singing and dancing, and there were also some scholars chanting poems, mixing the leisure of Qinhuai River with the bustling noise of the market. Zhou Pei followed in small steps: "Master also said that it won't take a few years? A few days ago, I followed the concubine to the Qin family's grandfather's place. They also guessed like this..."

The little girl frowned, then remembered something, and said mysteriously, "Master, do you know about Grandpa Qin?"

"What's up?"

"Uh... It's about the Black Water Alliance. In previous years, I only knew that Grandpa Qin was very knowledgeable, and Grandpa Consort had a good relationship with him, but I don't know what he did, but recently I suddenly heard people talking about it. ." Zhou Pei thought for a while, "What about the Black Water Alliance, the defeat of the war... The grandfather of the Qin family used to live here, and no one came to visit him, and no one talked about it much, and there are many people who have visited recently. Now, there are more people who say it. But I heard some people mention it in private, and some scolded him, saying that he did a lot of things to gain fame and reputation, and some even more embarrassing things, saying that he... said that Grandpa Qin was a traitor... "

The little girl frowned: "I asked Grandpa Concubine recently, but Grandpa Consort didn't say anything. He only said that everything must be covered before the conclusion can be concluded. It's not time to talk yet. I probably know about the matter and Jin Guoliao. The country may have something to do with it, but every time Grandpa Qin goes to visit Grandpa Qin, Grandpa Qin refuses to talk about it, just gossiping from all over the world, as if he doesn't care about these things at all... "

"I'm not very clear about what happened a few years ago..." Ning Yi thought for a while, then shook his head. Recently, he has probably heard some rumors circulating in the market, but these rumors are too mysterious to be believed. I only know that the Black Water Alliance seven years ago might have involved Lao Qin, who signed a messy and humiliating contract. Now someone mentions this, saying that the conflict between Jin and Liao was foreshadowed at that time. Dig up the name "Qin Siyuan", but naturally there are still many people who don't believe in such things.

In the past, Elder Qin and Kang Xian loved to talk about the situation in the world, but recently, they have rarely talked about matters in the north, but it is a fact. Especially when the Jin Kingdom and the Liao Kingdom suddenly negotiated a peace recently, Yelu Yanxi canonized Wanyan Aguda as the Great Sage Emperor. After the news came, it seemed to pour a lot of cold water on the people of the Wu Dynasty who were looking forward to the war between Jin and Liao. Theoretically speaking Yelu Yanxi, the Liao Emperor, took a step back, no matter whether it was true or not, he always kept a few years of peace, and the war that was about to start would be postponed again. At this moment, when Ning Yi occasionally visited Mr. Qin, he realized that the old man didn't talk about this matter, and seemed to have ignored it. On the contrary, the number of times Kang Xian went to Qin Lao's side has increased vaguely.

Ning Yi could feel some of the atmosphere, and there were naturally guesses. But he is not a real participant. Even Kang Xian, who really knew the inside story, held his breath and didn't speak about it. Of course, it is not easy for him to make an oath to talk nonsense to Zhou Pei in such serious matters. what. It's just that people who do big things are people who do big things after all, whether it's wrong or wrong, it's different from the feeling of negotiating between the painting boat and the powder pile to join the army.

At the moment, I told Zhou Pei something about the Jin Kingdom and the Liao Kingdom. That Wanyan Agu fights in the white mountains and black waters to revitalize the Jurchen family with his own power. With a record of 20,000 and 700,000 defeats, he is indeed a hero who is extremely perverted. There are not many people in Wu Chao who really know this information, but in the past year, under Ning Yi's casual remarks, a group of students including Zhou Pei both admire and fear this person, but fortunately there are few Jurchens. Yan Aguda is not young anymore, and it is unlikely that he will destroy the Liao Dynasty and then threaten the Wu Dynasty in his lifetime.

Zhou Pei likes to talk about these things, and occasionally speculates and asks, "Is that so?" She talked about these things for a while, and the previous depression in her heart was temporarily relieved. At noon, I only ate a small cabbage roll because I was bored. At this time, I walked a long way, but I was hungry. At this time, it happened to be close to the newly opened Jiner store in Zhuji, little girl. He slammed around and asked to stop for a rest, eat something, and take a look at the new Zhuji store by the way. Ning Yi took their sister and brother to Zhuji's main store to eat a few times before.

The two then went over there, and when they approached the door of the store, they met two people coming from there. One of the two was probably in his fifties, tall and thin. Although he was dressed as a scribe, he still had an air of wealth and honor that had been cultivated by perennial bosses, with a serious expression and proud eyes. This person, Ning Yi, had met once before. He was a famous scholar in Jiangning. His name was Zhang Rui, and his courtesy name was Hongyuan.

The other was in his thirties, with a slightly fat body and a serious expression with narrowed eyes. He also dressed as a scribe and held a fan. This person Ning Yi did not know. That Zhang Rui recognized Ning Yi, and the two came over after a few words, but first of all, it was Zhou Pei who went over and saluted: "Master Zhang, Master Li, hello."

The two hurriedly returned the salute: "The county master is also there, I don't dare to be, I don't dare to be."

Afterwards, they said hello to Ning Yi and introduced each other. In fact, both of them were taught by Kang Wangfu, and they were also quite famous in Jiangning City. The fat man surnamed Li was named Li Tong, and looked at Ning Yi with squinting eyes: "It turns out that Your Excellency is Ning Yi and Ning Liheng. I have long admired the famous name and have never been able to meet him. Today is a coincidence."

Zhang Rui looked at Ning Yi and Zhou Pei, a little displeased: "Li Heng is walking around in these markets with the body of the county owner's daughter. It seems a little... not appropriate, right?"

If it was an ordinary encounter, maybe the chat would have separated after a while, but after a few words, Zhang and Li began to talk to each other and turn the topic to "discussion", "sit and talk" and other things. , and talking about Ning Yi's teaching method, and the fact that it was a little inappropriate to take the little princess to walk around in these markets.

The reasons for these things also come from their own origins. At the end of last year, Xiaopei and Junwu worshipped Ning Yi as their teachers. They originally planned to make a big splash. Kang Wang personally went to the Su family to visit the door to gain momentum. Xian is in the middle to guide, and everything is simplified. But as the tutors of Prince Kang's Mansion, these people knew that the little prince and the little princess had one more master.

There are a lot of vassals in the palace, and a group of teachers are quite talented and well-known, and their status is also good, but they mainly teach the children of various servants in the palace. There are differences in the masters that people specifically and deliberately seek out.

When Ning Yi was in his early twenties, he was known as the number one talent in Jiangning. It was impossible not to be jealous. At that time, these masters knew that they had prepared a considerable battle in the future. The invitation was given to Ning Yi, thinking that he and his people would have enough weight. Everyone was in the palace, so it was impossible for Ning Yi not to give this face.

Who would have known that Ning Yi even had the brand name of the guest of the palace, which was stuffed by Kang Xian. He didn't need to go to the palace to work, and everyone was not a colleague. Besides, Ning Yi and Su Taner were in a good relationship at that time. They only had the same room after two years of marriage. The adultery was righteous, and Su Taner needed him to accompany him to visit everywhere. He threw the invitation aside as usual, and replied with a mass-produced letter of refusal. Not going, sorry.

These people turned over the book to review for nearly half a month, and prepared some questions and the like, but their expectations came to nothing, and they were greatly indignant. Today, Zhang and Li met Ning Yi on the street. The surnamed Li was still a little nervous about the title of "Jiangning's No. 1 Talent", but seeing Ning Yi's unfinished appearance, he may have some talents and can be called The word "odd" is definitely not "bo" but "refined". At the moment, it is convenient for Zhang Rui to decide to compete with this person in terms of learning today. .

Asking for advice may be said not to dare, but if people say that they are just sitting and talking together, they cannot refuse. Then, a few people walked towards the newly opened Jin'er store not far away, and then went up to the second floor to find a private room to sit. down.

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I thought I could code it out last night, but it was morning again...